I have a score which is specifically set up for illustrating/working problems in invertible counterpoint. I have a harpsichord player with 3 staves, the middle stave takes the cantus firmus, the upper and lower staves are the lines written in invertible counterpoint. I can enter figured bass on the lower line, and I have Local input selected. If I try to enter different (local) figures under the cantus firmus, Dorico just changes the figures on the lower stave. I feel that I’m following the instructions, but I clearly must be doing something wrong.
I wonder if, given a single player, Dorico limits it to one set of figures. (Not at my computer to check.) If so, perhaps entering the second line as lyrics would work (which would best be done with the “donation-ware” font MusAnalysis).
Dorico will treat your Harspichord as a single instrument (with grand staff instruments figured bass is actually attached to the the top staff, even though it displays under the lower staff). To use local figured basses they need to be applied to different instruments.
I guess you could contruct your 3-stave harpsichord from different instruments and bracket them together to get what you want?
I’ll give that a try. Since I posted the query I’ve been thinking that perhaps that’s the solution. Thank you.
Ok I’ve created three separate harpsichord instruments. I removed the top staves from the lower two instruments in the score, and the lower stave from the top instrument. In Layout Options I’ve selected that I want the lower two instruments only to show the figures. I enter the figures using Local input. The figures don’t show, though they are clearly visible in the popover if I double click on the note to check. If I add back the upper stave on the lowest instrument where I entered the figures, the figures appear. If I do the same thing to the middle instrument (i.e. add back the top stave), then figures appear, not quite what I want, but I can change them. The problem is that three harpsichords, 2 with redundant staves, are now taking up a lot of real estate on the page.
I spoke too soon. Sometimes when altering the figures on one of the instruments, the figures change in the other one. [What would be really good for this purpose is to be a function to disable all the smart features of the figured bass application so that I can enter all the figures as text.]
I didn’t take that in about the top staff. However I’ve created the three single staff instruments as you suggest, and I believe that I’m in local mode (I entered “Alt/OptL Return” in the popover, and there’s a head and shoulders symbol on the right hand side of the popover window? - but perhaps I’m not in local mode?), but whenever I enter a figure in the central stave, it changes what I’ve entered in the lower stave.
Ok I finally got it. My error was not to hold Shift for the uppercase L. Easy when you know! Thank you all for your help and patience with my obtuseness.